The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington is the diocese of the Episcopal Church with jurisdiction over eastern Kentucky. It was created in 1895 from the Diocese of Kentucky which continues to have jurisdiction of the western portion of the state. The cathedral for the Diocese of Kentucky is located in Louisville. The Diocese of Lexington is in Province 4 and its cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, is in Lexington, as are the diocesan offices.Episcopal Church Annual, 2006, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Morehouse Publishing, p. 224
The diocese's greatest membership strength is in the Bluegrass region in and around Lexington, with a smaller pocket of strength in the Northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati. The diocese has several small congregations in the Appalachian portion of the state. In 2024, the diocese reported average Sunday attendance (ASA) of 2,027 persons, down from 2,854 in 2015. Reported membership declined from 6,923 in 2015 to 6,186 in 2023. No membership statistics were reported in 2024 national parochial reports. The 34 reporting congregations of the diocese had $6,607,328 in plate and pledge income in 2024.
Bishops of Lexington Name Date Notes I Lewis W. Burton 1896-1928 II Henry Pryor Almon Abbott 1929-1945 III William R. Moody 1945-1971 Addison Hosea, bishop coadjutor 1970 - 1971 IV Addison Hosea 1971–1985 Don A. Wimberly, bishop coadjutor 1984–1985 V Don A. Wimberly 1985–1999 Wimberly was translated to the Diocese of Texas. Rogers S. Harris 1999–2000 Assisting Bishop VI Stacy F. Sauls 2000–2011Sauls was named COO of The Episcopal Church. Chilton R. Knudsen 2011-2012 Interim Bishop VII Douglas Hahn 2012–2016Hahn suspended March 9, 2016. Bruce Edward Caldwell 2016-2018 Provisional Bishop VIII Mark Van Koevering 2018-2026 Provisional from 2018-2019, elected diocesan bishop, 1 Nov. 2019 Jeffrey Lee 2026- Assisting Bishop IX David C. Sibley December 2026 consecration (consents pending) Elected August 1, 2026
Bishop The Rt. Rev. Mark Van Koevering was consecrated as Bishop of Niassa, Mozambique, part of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, in 2003, where he served until November 2015. In November 2015, he moved back to the United States, to become the assistant bishop at the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia. He served there until April 2018 when he became the provisional bishop of the Diocese of Lexington. He became eligible to be the diocesan bishop after a period of shared ministry, prayer, and review. On 1 November 2019 at a special convention of the diocese, Bishop Van Koevering was elected diocesan bishop. On 7 October 2024, Bishop Van Koevering announced his intention to resign upon the installation of his successor in late 2026.
On August 1, 2026, the diocese elected the Rev. David C. Sibley as ninth bishop.
Departure of Bishop Hahn and call of Bishop Caldwell Bruce Edward Caldwell was called to serve as Bishop Provisional on June 1, 2016. He was named to the temporary post after his predecessor, the Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, was suspended and later resigned after it was learned he had lied during the bishop search process about past adultery with a parishioner.
List of parishes and locations
Location Church Anderson County St. Joseph's (unorganized) Ashland Calvary Barnes Mountain St. Timothy's Beattyville St. Thomas Clark County St. Hubert's Corbin St. John's Covington Trinity Cynthiana Advent Danville Trinity Flemingsburg St. Francis' Florence Grace Fort Thomas St. Andrew's Frankfort Ascension Georgetown Holy Trinity Harlan Christ Church Harrodsburg St. Philip's Hazard St. Mark's Jessamine County Resurrection Lexington Christ Church Cathedral Lexington Good Shepherd Lexington St. Andrew's Lexington Grace United/St. Martha's Lexington St. Michael's Lexington St. Raphael's Lexington St. Augustine's Chapel Lexington Walnut Hill Madison County Our Saviour Maysville Nativity Middlesboro St. Mary's Morehead St. Alban's Mount Sterling Ascension Newport St. Paul's Paris St. Peter's Prestonsburg St. James Somerset St. Patrick's Versailles St. John's Winchester Emmanuel
In addition to these parishes and missions, there are other ministries of the diocese that have attached chapels. The college ministry at the University of Kentucky is located at St. Augustine's Chapel in Lexington. St. Agnes' House in Lexington was "a nonprofit, ecumenical mission providing economical lodging for patients and their caregivers who have traveled to Lexington, Kentucky seeking treatment for serious illnesses at area hospitals and other medical care facilities." St. Agnes' House closed in late 2017.
The Diocese of Lexington also has a co-cathedral located at the diocesan camp and conference center, the Cathedral Domain, in Lee County. It is called the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr.
The diocese previously supported a literacy ministry called Reading Camp. Reading Camp was a free, week-long camp for kids going into third, fourth or fifth grade who could use help getting their reading to, or near to, grade-level. Reading Camp built both reading skills and self-confidence through a summer camp atmosphere. Individual Reading Camps still exist throughout the diocese and abroad.
See also
Historical list of bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
References
External links Episcopal Diocese of Lexington website Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington Official Web site of the Episcopal Church Journal of the Annual Convention, Diocese of Lexington